1999 Ford Windstar LX 3.8L from North America

Summary:

Won't buy a Ford again... period!

Faults:

Brakes (noisy from day one)

Heating blend door replaced @ 80,000km

Steering rack replaced (twice) @ 80,000km and 97,000km.

General Comments:

Performed admirably until 1 year off warranty then the blend door went (no heat) @ 80,000km and it was 20 below ($1300 tab). A week later the steering rack went ($700 tab). One year and one week later the rack went again (a week after the part warranty expired). Ford has so graciously offered to pick up half the repair cost! ($400 tab). What a bunch of swell fellas! Remember, Quality is job one! Ha! Will be trading in on a Honda within the next week, just not sure whether to fix it first or top up the power steering fluid and let them find out later... any thoughts/comments? Aaah it feels good to vent again after lighting into the guy from the Ford Head Office who tried to tell me that the dealer was "going the extra mile" for me.

13th Apr 2005, 07:22

It's amazing. Our vehicle had the same exact problems and we came to the same conclusion. Honda Odyssey. We kept our fingers crossed that the Windstar would make it to the dealership. Get the Honda, you won't be sorry.

1999 Ford Windstar LX 3.8L V6 from North America

Summary:

Faults:

All engine gaskets needed to be replaced after about 2 years of ownership.

Steering squeaks and is rough.

Car stalls if it rains or is cold.

Faulty door switches cause interior lights to stay on and flicker on and off.

Speed sensors broke after about 2 years.

Doors sometimes don't lock or unlock.

Rear speakers stopped working after about a year.

General Comments:

This is the biggest piece of junk car I've ever seen. No car should have this many problems in such a short amount of time. Definitely a lemon.

Right from the start, this car has had a score of electric and mechanical problems. Very unreliable because you never know when it will stall on you. In a couple of instances it didn't even start.

A major problem is that due to faulty door switches, the interior lights will stay on. Our battery has died because of this and the only way to remedy it quickly is to yank the fuse, leaving you with no lights at all.

After only a couple of years all the gaskets on the engine cracked and all needed to be replaced which cost around $1000.

Bottom line: Never buy a Ford minivan unless you're willing to shovel 400 dollars into it every few months. Stay away from this car whatever you do.

28th Mar 2005, 07:44

How about putting a Chevy engine and transmission in the Windstar? Comparing both mini vans, the Ford has better body and under corrosion, and GM has an engine and tranny that out rates the Ford. I've talked to an engineer at Ford, who said if the Windstar and some of its other vehicles were to last too long, they would lose money. And he wasn't kidding. If they make it to 150,000 miles, he said you're lucky. So good luck owners.